FR2924414A1 - METHOD FOR ASSEMBLING PUSH BUTTONS BY POSITIONING BODIES IN THE CONVEYING PATH - Google Patents

Abstract

The method involves using actuating bodies on which positioning impressions i.e. notches, are formed, and continuously supplying the bodies, liquid spraying nozzles and covers to an assembling terminal by a body conveying path. An exterior projecting edge and a side step of the conveying path are cooperated with the notches for carrying out positioning of the bodies in the conveying path so as to carry out assembling of the covers and the nozzles on the positioned bodies during conveying the bodies to the assembling terminal. Independent claims are also included for the following: (1) an installation for implementing a push button assembling method, comprising an assembling terminal (2) a push button comprising a body.

Description

The invention relates to a method of assembling push buttons for a liquid distribution system, an installation for carrying out this method, and a push button assembled by the implementation of said method.

In a particular application, the dispensing system is intended to equip bottles used in perfumery, in cosmetics or for pharmaceutical treatments. Indeed, this type of bottle contains a liquid which is returned by a dispensing system comprising a pump or a manually operated valve, said system being actuated by a push button to allow the spraying of the liquid.

Such push buttons are conventionally made in two or three parts: an actuating body, a liquid spray nozzle and possibly a hubcap covering said body, said parts being assembled together to form the push button. After assembly, the push buttons are installed on the dispensing systems by fitting on a nozzle serving as outlet conduit of the contents of the bottles.

To assemble the nozzle and possibly the hubcap on the body, it is necessary to accurately position said body relative to the assembly tools. In particular, the nozzle is conventionally intended to be fitted into a housing of the body, and the orientation of said housing relative to the contour of the nozzle must be ensured to be able to automatically push said nozzle into said housing.

With the assembly methods according to the prior art, the positioning of the bodies is carried out individually, in particular by engaging in said body a counter-shape of its inner profile. Then, the nozzle is pressed into the housing and, optionally, the hubcap is associated with the top of said body leaving free the outlet orifice of the nozzle. The assembly can also be performed in the reverse order. However, this type of process requires stopping the conveyor to position the body, which limits the rates to about two assemblies per second.

The invention aims to improve the prior art by proposing in particular a method of assembling push buttons in which the assembly rates can be increased, including up to five push buttons per second.

For this purpose, and according to a first aspect, the invention proposes a method of assembling push buttons for a liquid distribution system, in which each push button comprises an actuating body and at least one other assembled component. said body in a given position, said method providing for the use of bodies on which a positioning pattern is formed, and continuously feeding an assembly station of the bodies and the other elements through a path of conveying said bodies, said path having a complementary profile intended to cooperate with the imprints to achieve the positioning of said bodies in said conveying path, so as to perform the assembly of the other components on the bodies thus positioned during their conveying to at the assembly station.

According to a second aspect, the invention proposes an installation for the implementation of such an assembly method, said installation comprising a body reserve, an assembly station and a conveying path between said reserve and said station, wherein the conveying path has a complementary profile which is intended to cooperate with the fingerprints to achieve the positioning of said bodies in said path during their conveying to the assembly station.

According to a third aspect, the invention proposes a push button assembled by implementing such a method, said push button comprising a body provided with a positioning imprint, said push button further comprising a nozzle and / or a hubcap assembled on said body. Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the description which follows, made with reference to the appended figures in which: - Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a push button according to one embodiment of the invention, said push button being mounted on a pump equipping a bottle; - Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view along the line AA of Figure 1; Figures 3 are perspective views of the push button according to Figure 1, respectively before assembly of the nozzle (Figure 3a) and after said assembly (Figure 3b); Figure 4 is a schematic representation of a pushbutton assembly installation according to Figure 1; Figures 5 are partial cross-sectional views respectively of the ramp (Figure 5a) and the chute (Figure 5b) of the installation according to Figure 4, a positioned push button being shown in these figures.

In relation with FIGS. 1 to 3, a spray push-button for a liquid dispensing system is described below, said liquid being able to be of any kind, in particular used in perfumery, in cosmetics or for pharmaceutical treatments.

The push button comprises an actuating body 1 in which a dispensing path is formed. The body 1 has an upper wall 2 allowing the user to exert on it a digital support to move axially said push button. The body 1 also has, in one piece, an outer skirt 3 and an inner skirt 4, said skirts extend under the upper wall 2 with said inner skirt surrounded by said outer skirt. The inner skirt 4 defines a mounting housing 5 of the push button on the dispensing system, said housing being in communication with the dispensing path.

In the figures, the dispensing system has a nozzle 6 which is inserted sealingly into the housing 5. In a known manner, the dispensing system further comprises means for mounting on the neck 7 of a bottle containing the liquid and sampling means 8 of the liquid inside said bottle which are arranged to supply the nozzle 6 with liquid under pressure.

To do this, the dispensing system comprises a manually operated pump 9 or, in the case where the liquid is packaged under pressure in the bottle, a manually operated valve. Thus, during a manual movement of the push button, the pump 9 or the valve is actuated to supply the nozzle 6 with liquid under pressure.

The body 1 also has an annular housing 10 of axis perpendicular to that of the mounting housing 5, the downstream end of the distribution path opening into said housing.

The push button also comprises a spray nozzle 11 which is connected to said body 1 by being mounted in the housing 10 (FIG. 3). In the embodiments shown, the nozzle 11 comprising a cylindrical body in which a dispensing orifice 12 is formed, said nozzle being arranged collinearly with the axis of the housing 10 to allow lateral spraying of the liquid relative to the body 1 of the push button .

Furthermore, the push button comprises an aspect trim 13 which is mounted on the actuating body 1, covering the upper wall 2 and the outer face of the outer skirt 3 while leaving the dispensing orifice 12 free.

In connection with FIGS. 4 and 5, an installation and a method of assembling such push buttons comprising an actuating body 1, a spray nozzle 11 and a hubcap 13 are described below. In a variant, the pushbutton may comprise only one of these components assembled to the body 1, or more generally at least one component to be assembled to said body in a specific position.

The method provides for the use of actuating bodies 1 on which a positioning imprint is formed. In the figures, the impression is formed of a notch 14 provided on the upper wall 2 of the body 1, said notch opening on said wall. More precisely, the notch 14 has a plane radial surface 14a connected to a planar axial surface 14b, said surfaces being formed in the outer skirt 3, for example during the molding of the body 1.

In addition, in the embodiment shown, the notch 14 extends parallel to the axis of the housing 10 for mounting the nozzle 11. Alternatively, the notch 14 may be formed to extend perpendicularly to this axis or in any other position. These embodiments allow simple indexing of the housing 10 of the nozzle 11 relative to the tools for driving said nozzle into said housing.

In FIG. 4, the push button assembly installation comprises a body reserve which is formed of a vibratory bowl 15, said bowl being shown empty in the figure. The installation also comprises an assembly station 16 and a conveying path of the bodies 1 between said bowl and said station. The method thus provides for continuously feeding the assembly station 16 of the push buttons via said conveying path, in particular by arranging the bodies 1 in said path by vibration of the bowl 15.

To allow positioning of the bodies 1 by means of the notches 14, the conveying path has a complementary profile which is intended to cooperate with said notches. Thus, the positioning of the bodies 1 is carried out in the conveying path so that the other components can be assembled on the bodies 1 which have been positioned during their conveying to the assembly station 16. In particular, the assembly method therefore does not require stopping the conveying of the bodies 1 for their positioning, the latter being carried out in the conveying path, which makes it possible to significantly increase the assembly rates. Then, the assembly can be performed in the assembly station 16, in particular the depression of the nozzle 11 in the housing 10 followed by the fitting of the hubcap 13 on the body 1, said hubcap also masking the notch 14 of positioning.

In the embodiment described, the cooperation is achieved by engagement of the notch 14 in a rail extending along the conveying path. In particular, the rail is fixed in the conveying path so as not to use moving members to achieve positioning.

In relation to FIGS. 4 and 5, the inner periphery of the vibrating bowl 15 comprises a conveying ramp 17 which is helically formed, the upper end of said ramp communicating with a chute 18 to form the conveying path. More specifically, the ramp 17 has an outer edge protruding 19 from its bottom 20, said edge having a dimension adapted to form the complementary profile in which the notches 14 can engage. In particular, the height of the edge 19 corresponds substantially to that of the notch 14 so as to have the body 1 in the ramp 17 with the upper wall 3 facing the bottom 20 and the notch 14 resting on the edge 19 (Figure 5a).

Furthermore, a side step 21 is formed along the chute 18, said step having a dimension similar to that of the edge 19 so as to form a complementary profile in the continuity of said edge. In this embodiment, the complementary profile therefore consists of a positioning and guiding rail of the bodies 1 in the conveying path. In addition, the bottom 22 of the chute 18 has a width similar to the size of the upper wall 2 which is disposed opposite when the notch 14 is engaged in the step 21 (Figure 5b). Furthermore, the chute 18 comprises a roof 23 disposed above the step 21 with a height arranged to hold 7 the notches 14 in said step during the conveying of the body 1 in said chute.

Thus, the bodies 1 contained in the bowl 15 are arranged on the ramp 17 by vibration. Then, the vibrations facilitate the orientation of the body 1 in the correct position shown in Figure 5a. Still under the effect of vibrations, the bodies 1 move one behind the other in the ramp 17 to reach the chute 18 in a good position, said position then being preserved during the conveying in said chute to the assembly station 16 .

The assembly method furthermore makes it possible to expel from the conveying path the bodies 1 in the wrong position, in particular by applying a force on a part of the body 1 which is projecting from the conveying path when said body is in the wrong position. In particular, the expulsion can be carried out on the ramp 17, that is to say prior to the entrance of the chute 18.

To do this, the bottom 20 has an orifice 24 which is positioned at a distance from the edge 19 which is, on the one hand, less than the diameter of the bodies 1 and, on the other hand, greater than the bulk of said body when the notch 14 is engaged in said edge. The orifice 24 is in communication with a means for applying a force, in particular an air jet (not shown) which allows, in the case where the notch 14 is not engaged on the edge 19 , lifting said body since a portion thereof is opposite the orifice 24. In addition, the ramp 17 is inclined towards the inside of the bowl 15 to facilitate the expulsion by tilting of the body 1 raised, and allow the return of said body in said bowl for its subsequent conveying.

Claims (15)

A method of assembling push buttons for a liquid dispensing system, wherein each push button comprises an actuating body (1) and at least one other component (11, 13) assembled to said body in a position determined, said method providing for the use of bodies (1) on which a positioning cavity (14) is formed, and for continuously feeding an assembly station (16) of the bodies (1) and other components (11). , 13) via a conveying path of said bodies, said path having a complementary profile (19, 21) intended to cooperate with the cavities (14) for positioning said bodies in said conveying path, so as to perform the assembly of the other components (11, 13) on the body (1) and positioned during their conveying to the assembly station (16). 2. Assembly method according to claim 1, characterized in that it provides the cooperation by engagement of a notch (14) provided on the upper wall (2) of the body (1) in a rail (19, 21). extending along the conveying path. 3. Assembly method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the bodies (1) are arranged in the conveying path by vibration. 4. A method of assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it provides to expel the conveyor path bodies (1) which are poorly positioned. 5. Assembly method according to claim 4, characterized in that the expulsion is performed by applying a force on a body portion (1) which is projecting from the conveying path when said body is in the wrong position. 6. Installation for carrying out the assembly method according to claim 1, said installation comprising a reserve (15) body (1), an assembly station (16) and a conveying path between said reserve and said station, in which the conveying path has a complementary profile (19, 21) which is intended to cooperate with the cavities (14) to carry out the positioning of said bodies in said path during their conveying to the assembly station ( 16). 7. Installation according to claim 6, characterized in that the reserve comprises a vibrating bowl (16) on the inner periphery of which a ramp (17) conveying is formed, said ramp communicating with a chute (18) to form the path of conveying provided with the complementary profile (19, 21). 8. Installation according to claim 7, characterized in that the ramp (17) 15 has an outer edge protruding (19) relative to its bottom (20), said edge forming the complementary profile. 9. Installation according to claim 8, characterized in that the bottom (20) has an orifice (24) which is positioned at a distance from the edge (19) which is, on the one hand, less than the diameter of the bodies (1) and, on the other hand, greater than the bulk of said body when the cavity (14) is engaged in said edge, said orifice being in communication with a means for applying a force. 25 10. Installation according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the ramp (17) is inclined towards the inside of the bowl (15). 11. Installation according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that a side step (21) is formed along the chute (18), said step forming complementary profile in the continuity of the edge (19) of the ramp (17) .15 12. Installation according to claim 11, characterized in that the chute (18) comprises a roof (23) disposed above the step (21) with a height arranged to maintain the footprints (14) in said step during the conveyance of body (1) in said chute. 13. Push button assembled by implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, said push button comprising a body (1) provided with a fingerprint (14) positioning, said push button further comprising a nozzle (11) and / or a trim (13) assembled on said 1 o body. 14. Push button according to claim 13, characterized in that the cavity is formed of a notch (14) opening on the upper wall (2) of said body. 15. Pushbutton according to claim 14, characterized in that it comprises a nozzle (11) assembled in a housing (10) of the body (1), the notch (14) extending parallel or perpendicular to the axis said dwelling.